History feels more alive when you’re having fun, and Alabama serves up a full plate of historic sites and good times.
Football, Mardi Gras, music and outer space all have deep roots here, and are part of group experiences that last a lifetime.
River Heritage Region
Since 1892, football has been a cherished tradition in Auburn. On Auburn University game days, another celebrated ritual is the tailgate party. Fortunately, attendees don’t have to wait for a game to enjoy a great tailgating experience with cold beer and hot barbecue.
“We can help planners set up a tailgating event or a party with a football theme,” says Robyn Bridges, vice president of the Auburn/Opelika Tourism Bureau. “We have done events in Letterman’s Lounge at the [Jordan Hare] stadium. It’s a small space but that’s a lot of fun for groups of 100 or so.”
Planners can also include a tour of the stadium itself, including the locker rooms, provided it’s not a game day. If a group needs a lot more room, they can move the party to the big Red Barn, part of the Ag Heritage Park on campus, just a block from the stadium.
The capital city of Montgomery offers plenty of history, and a massive chunk of it can be found in one place, Old Alabama Town. More than 30 historic homes and structures make up this 19th century village, including a grist mill, doctor’s office, cotton gin, grocery store and the ornate antebellum charm of the Ordeman House. Guided tours are available for groups, and the village offers several event venues as well, from outdoor spaces to the historic church, Molton Building or the newest addition, the Ware-Farley-Hood House. A caterer is available at the village, and the CVB can assist in arranging speakers to give an event a historical air.
At the Hank Williams Museum, attendees can immerse themselves in the haunting melodies of the man’s music and his Shakespeare-worthy life with a tour of the museum proper, which includes memorabilia like his car, and then enjoy a reception for up to 200 in the event room upstairs. The museum can point planners toward local musicians and history experts so any party comes alive with Hank’s bold spirit.
Metro Region
“Birmingham is so full of history. But the history that is without question the most compelling is Birmingham’s role in the civil rights movement,” says Vickie Ashford, director of travel media for the Greater Birmingham CVB.
Any meeting in this city should include an outing to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to experience the story behind Birmingham’s struggle for equality. The institute offers meeting and event space, and can help arrange speakers and programs with people who lived through that era.
Afterward, planners can keep the inspiration high with a Hot Barbecued Gospel event for up to 900 attendees at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark. This former blast furnace is now a building dedicated to the city’s industrial history, and the Casting Shed is the perfect place to marvel at the historic architecture, enjoy a catered lunch of barbecue and fixings, and listen to one of Birmingham’s best gospel choirs.
In Tuscaloosa, the Jemison Van de Graaff Mansion is a marvelous example of Italianate design, initially left incomplete when the Civil War broke out. Once part of a senator’s plantation, then a city library, the restored building and grounds now provide a breathtaking venue for a grand reception or elegant tea. Planners can arrange live music or guided tours to make an event come alive with history.
Mountain Region
A place nicknamed “Rocket City” should have out-of-this-world meeting venues, and Huntsville does not disappoint.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Saturn V Hall lets attendees raise their glasses while raising their gaze to a real Saturn V moon rocket, one of only three left in existence, or share small talk under the Pathfinder space shuttle in the outdoor area known as Shuttle Park. The main exhibit hall will instantly make reception goers into kids again with hands-on consoles and even a robotic arm they can manipulate. They can also arrange speakers, if attendees can tear themselves away from the historic artifacts.
Muscle Shoals has a rich musical heritage, thanks to the recording studios that drew some of the top talent in the 20th century, from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones. Planners can arrange a music-themed event at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame or set up a tour of the city’s historic studios and sites with Judy Hood, wife of legendary session musician David Hood, and get all the behind-the-scenes dish on some of the biggest legends in music history.
Gulf Coast Region
The U.S. history of Mardi Gras goes back to 1703 in Mobile, and the city still knows how to throw a party. Groups don’t have to show up during Fat Tuesday celebrations to have a good time, though, since the Mobile Carnival Museum gives attendees the Mardi Gras experience with a backdrop of historical costumes and memorabilia plus a space for receptions, luncheons and parties.
Near Gulf Shores and Orange Beach is Fort Morgan, which saw action during the Civil War during the Battle of Mobile Bay and is now a popular spot for sunset events and group cookouts. There are self-guided tours available, but the summer guided twilight tours are haunting and beautiful.
